Instrument for entering and drawing tacks



(No Model.)

W. M. CLARK.

INSTRUMENT FOR ENTERING AND DRAWING TASKS.

No. 319,070. Patented June 2, 1885.

airwaves.- ZM g lhvrrn hrn'rns Parana? @rsrcn.

IVILLIAM M. CLARK, OF BROOKLYN, NE\'V YORK.

INSTRUMENT FOR ENTERiNG AND DRAVi/iNG TACKS.

PESIFICATI-OZE forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,070, dated June 2, 1885.

Application Filed October 27, 1884. (X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM M. CLARK, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Instruments for Entering and Drawing Tacks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The invention consists in an instrument for entering tacks into carpets and other fabrics and substances, consisting of a sheath or thimble made of rigid material and longitudinally curved or convex on the under side to fit the ball and tip of the thumb.

The invention also consists in the combination, with such a sheath or thimble, of a lid or cover whereby the top or open end of the sheath or thimble may be closed when not in use, and thereby made to constitute a closed box for containing tacks.

The invention also consists in a sheath or thimble of the kind above described, having at its extremity a claw or sharp edge for d raw ing tacks.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the simplest form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the most complete form of my invention, showing the sheath or thimble as provided with a lid to make it a box, and with claws for drawing tacks.

The sheath iliustrated in Fig. 1 is formed to fit and conform to the end of the thumb. It is open at the end a to receive the thumb, and closed at the end (I which covers the tip of the thumb. IVhen the end of the thumb is inserted into the sheath, its surface will be neatly fitted by the interior surface of the sheath. At 6 the end of the sheath is flattened and roughened, so that it may not easily slip when pressed against the head of atack. This sheath may be made of malleable iron or steel or other metal, and may be hardened at e. The sheath or thimble is curved or convex on the under side, andin the direction of its length, so that it conforms to the shape of the ball an d tip of the thumb. This shape enables that part of the thimble which is opposite the tip of the thumb to be used in pressing the tacks into the substance in which they are entered, and also enables the instrument to be used for entering tacks in corners and close to the wall or base-board of a room. The sheath or thimble is to be made of material which is sulficiently rigid so that it will not yield to the head of the tack, and then it will distribute over the whole ball and tip of the thumb the pressure which is concentrated on the head of a tack in entering it.

To use this device it is put upon the end of the thumb, the rough surface e coming opposite to that part of the thumb which is commonly used to press a tack. Then, having picked up a tack with the fingers and the thumb covered with this sheath, the point of the tack is set where it is desired to enter it, the rough surface is placed upon the top of the tack, as illustrated by e f of Fig. 1, and pressed upon the tack until it is sufiiciently entered. IVhere tacks are to be driven with a hammer, the sheath is used upon the thumb of the left hand, and the tacks need only be entered with the sheath far enough to give them sufficient steadiness to receive the blow of a hammer held in the right hand. In the use of this sheath the striking of the thumb and finger of the left hand with the hammer in driving tacks is avoided. When very light tacks are used, as in some kinds of upholstery, sticking up placards, and the like, the sheath may be put on the thumb of the right hand, and the tack may be driven in as far as necessary by the pressure of the sheath and thumb alone without the use of a hammer.

In Fig. 2 the body of the sheath is represented as constructed similarly to that just described, except that it is longer or deeper, to enable it to contain a considerable number of tacks, and at the point of its closed end it is provided with a claw, d, for drawing tacks. Instead of the claw (1, there may be provided an edge sharpenough to serve the same pur- This sheath may be made of malleable iron, steel, or any other suitable material, and properly hardened. The open end a is provided with a lid, 12, which may be attached in any convenient and suitable way. In the example given it is represented as connected by pose.

7 a hinge, 0, to the edge of the open end a. a This lid converts the sheath into a box capable of being tightly closed, of containing tacks, and of being carried about in the pocket.

To use this form of my invention the lid b must be opened, all the tacks it may contain removed from within it, and the end of the thumb inserted into it. It is then used for inserting tacks in the same way as the simpler form hereinbefore described. The claw d may also be used to draw tacks either while the sheath is on the thumb or while it is held externally in the hand like the handle of an ordinary tack-drawer.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A sheath or thimble for entering tacks, made of rigid material and longitudinally curved or convex on the under side to fit the ball and tip of the thumb, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, with a sheath or thinr; ble for entering tacks, made of rigid material and longitudinally curved or convex on the under side to fit the ball and tip of the thumb,

of a lid or cover whereby the top or open end XVM. M. CLARK.

W'itnesses:

O. HALL, FREDK. HAvNEs. 

